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Karla

Entertainment TV journalist Nancy O’Dell has been dishing on the latest celebrity news for over a decade, but this busy mom of three wants to get Americans off of their couches and move.

O’Dell, 45, who will be taking over the reigns of veteran Entertainment Tonight anchor, Mary Hart, today has recently partnered with the American Council on Exercise and the Hershey Center for Health Nutrition® to launch a new dance activity called Moderation Nation Batuka Break, created to encourage Americans to get active through dance.

She shares with Parade.com how her family stays fit, her favorite pastime, and the most shocking celebrity story she’s ever covered.

On being on the other side of the interview. “It always feels a little bit strange, but it’s nice to not have to do research on myself!”

On her exercise routine. “My exercise routine is very much of the same philosophy of Moderation Nation, which is balancing nutrition and physical activity. I try to get in physical activity on a daily basis. It doesn’t have to be in the gym. If I can do 15 minutes of a fun dance like Batuka, which is a South American dance, that’s great. I can’t wait to show my baby girl, Ashby, 3, who will be absolutely obsessed with it since she loves to dance. So it’s doing fun things like that.”

On keeping her family fit. “I’ll go outside and play dodge ball and tag with my kids and we’ll have the best time and we’re laughing and it’s a great way to get physical activity without feeling like you have to get two hours in at the gym. It’s just about getting out there and getting active. Then you don’t have to deprive yourself of the little treats that you can have every now and then.”

On her favorite pastime. “I have 150 scrapbooks. I’m a huge scrapbooker, actually a fourth generation scrapbooker. I pretty much document any and everything in my life. It’s so important for me. I recognized how important it is for a family. One of the first things I did for my stepsons was make them scrapbooks. I took some photos and papers they had done since I’d known them and put them into a scrapbook. When I gave the scrapbooks to them, the looks on their faces was like I had just told them, ‘You’re important and you matter to me so much so that I want to save everything that you do.’

“I knew that would be the case because growing up, my mom would use it as a way to teach me. When my great-grandmother passed away, she pulled out a picture of her and explained to me what death was and told me that I wouldn’t see her again, but I had all of these great memories with her and I’d never lose those. I just think scrapbooking is an invaluable teaching tool for making children feel special and loved. It’s a fun and great way to make children feel that they matter. I also have a family recipe scrapbook. I had my mom write her recipes in her handwriting, which is now so valuable to me since she’s passed on. So I have a scrapbook that also serves as a cookbook.”

On joining Entertainment Tonight. “The great thing about being with Entertainment Tonight is that it was the first of its kind. I honestly credit it and give kudos to them for starting the whole entertainment news format. They were friendly to the celebrities in the beginning and they’re still friendly now. The fact that they were the first before everything is why people still tune in to ET. They’re consistently one of the top five syndicated shows of all time. It’s such a well-respected show. As for Mary (Hart), even though we were at competing shows, we were on the same red carpets throughout the years and became friends. I feel like she really paved the way for all of us in entertainment news because she was the first anchor on the first show of its kind. So to be able to celebrate those 29 years that she spent there I’m so glad I get to be a part of that.”

Her most memorable or shocking celebrity story. “The death of Michael Jackson. He was one of those celebrities who I always wanted to have a long sit down interview with because I felt like there was a side of him that so many people didn’t see. I just saw a very sweet side of him and I think he was very misunderstood. I was always one of those people who defended him because I knew so many people who worked with him and they always said he was a good person. So to not have the chance to interview him and to report on his death was a very weird story to watch unfold.”

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